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| Recent photo of Pastor George with his wife Jyothi and their three children |
(Editor’s
Note: Thank you, Marla Summers, for
interviewing
Pastor George and sharing this article about his life,
his
testimony, and his vision and mission for India.)
By Marla Summers
Pastor George Fernandes runs a growing
Christian ministry in Bangalore and surrounding areas of India. After catching a vision to serve God and
transform lives in India, he started Helping Hands India (HHI) a ministry to
orphans, children camps, care for widows and the elderly, a church planting and
training program, a Bible Institute, the establishment of churches, and
supporting local pastors.
Where did Pastor
George catch the vision? On the train
track!
Pastor George
lost his father at an early age and was raised with his eight siblings by his
mother. “In the Indian culture, losing a father is losing your future,” said Pastor
George. He wanted to become a doctor, but was without financial or moral
support. “I thought to end my earthly life,” said Pastor George. “I went to
[the] train track to give my head to the running train and die.”
“Why do you have to die?”
But after
sitting near the track for forty minutes, no train had passed. He heard someone
speaking to him saying, “Why do you have to die? What will you achieve by
death?” He got up from the track and made his way to the main road. Within five
minutes, a train passed the track behind him.
After realizing
that God had a purpose in his life, Pastor George pursued a degree in theology,
despite much financial strain. After finishing his degree in 2001, his dream of
serving Christ became a reality with the start of New Hope Children’s Home with
ten Indian orphans. The orphanage now cares for sixty children, all of whom are
growing spiritually, getting baptized, and attending one of the best schools in
Bangalore to study English. And, three more New Hope for Children homes have
been opened: in Rajoli, near
Bhadrachalam, and at Ambur. The number
of children in the four orphanages is currently 136. But it has been far from smooth sailing.
Less than a dollar to feed 46 children
In March of
2005, with forty-six children in his care, Pastor George had less than a dollar
and only a week to gather the $125 he needed to run the ministry that month. He
was in tears and on his knees before the Lord, telling the children to pray
that somehow they would receive the funds. “I could not purchase anything for
the children, not even vegetables or milk. We had rice for the lunch and no
curry for the dinner.”
Yet God had
heard their prayers. A couple called New Hope past the regular visiting hours
and wanted to drive up to the orphanage. They arrived and were impacted by Pastor
George’ ministry, explaining that they had come to India on business, but they
wanted to see a children’s home before they left. After phoning fifteen other
orphanages to request a visit, they called Pastor George, and he was the first
one to answer the phone. They presented the pastor with the equivalent of $250,
double that which Pastor George had prayed for hours before.
Inspector was silent, judge commended work
This is not the
only time he has seen miracles. “Government agencies came for inspection and
threatened us that they would close the girls’ children home and take away the
Manipuri children,” said Pastor George. After much prayer, the inspector who
had threatened them said nothing, and the judge commended their work.
And yet another
time the pastor and his family prayed to speak with the media, which tends to
never say anything good about Christian orphanages. Instead, the station aired
and noted that Pastor George’ ministry was the best of many children’s homes.
Most recently, Pastor
George was blessed with the $9600 in donations needed to move the girls’
orphanage to a better location. The growing number of children had no better place
to go, so Pastor George sacrificed his home. About why he was willing to make
such a sacrifice for his ministry, he explained the hardship that Indian girls
face, such as not given a proper education and even being sold or killed.
Children know me as their “Appa” Father
“All these
children call me Appa [Father],” he says. When he heard that he was going to
lose his children, he and his wife chose to, “give away our house in order to
save our girls.” He said, “I brought them up for almost ten years and it is
difficult to even think of losing them so I and my family sacrificed our stay.
We love them. Being a semi-orphan, I know the pain.”
At the New Hope
for Children orphanages, there are still an abundance of needs. At present,
they are seeking land and a building for the children in Bangalore, as well as
for the home in Bhadrachelam. They are also in need of a school bus to
transport children and donations to cover their school fees. Pastor George’
ministry is also regularly in need of sponsors for children, monthly costs,
missionaries, the church planting training program, and youth camps.
Goals for the future… Lord willing
Pastor George
hopes Helping Hands for India and his children’s home will continue to grow.
His goals:
·
To serve 300 children by 2016
·
To reach 10,000 children for Christ
·
To serve 50 elderly and young widows
·
To plant 150 churches in southern India
·
To support 120 pastors and missionaries to
unreached people groups
·
To train up 100 new lay-leaders for full time
ministry
While his aims
may seem enormously high, he knows that everything is possible with God. The
pastor and his family have dedicated their lives to transforming hearts that
may never have seen love otherwise. Pastor George put it simply: “Pray for us.
Share about us. Partner with us. Come and visit us.” What a mighty God we serve!
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| Pastor George preaching at a dedication ceremony |
